Connecticut western news., 1887-01-05
HORSE HABITS.
Something About Equine @ Ways and Peculiarities.
Horses Disposed to be Gentle or Savage
 According to Treatment.

Horses Disposed to be Gentle or Savage
 According to Treatment.
 A gentleman who has made study of horses and their characteristics for years and who is the owner of a number of fine animals, was shown by New York Aaa and Express reporter, an item that has been going tho rounds of the press about horse becoming insane.
 'T do not believe there is any such thing as insanity among horses" he said. |S "A horse may become wild and unmanagc- able from pain, such as the toothache, or because of cruel and brutal treatment or fright, but it is only temporary affection. But will not deny that many horses are natural fools. I have in fact seen many such on which there was no dependence, and a characteristic of which is the taking up of a mouthful of hay and tossing it about, making frc- quent'y no headway in eating. Such l horses show no affection, and a stranger can drive them as readily as one who has | handled them for years, which is not the case with an intelligent horse. One thing that makes a horse nervous are these fancy curb bits, which hurt horse considerably, and attribute great deal of this so-called viciousness to these con- trivances. No, sir; do not even be- licve in natural viciousness in horse. To ill-treatmcnt this is all duo. Take a high-strung, nervous horse and it does not require much ill-treatment to make him vicious. I havo seen horses and owned them which would be perfectly gentle in harness and in the stable, but the moment they would see me take up stick or whip would at once seem to change their dispositions and try to jump upon me and otherwise do mo harm. Out West last summer l came across Q black horse which had killed three men, and which worked six mates to death. He was worked twelve years day and night on a stage coach. He would trample both men and his mates to death the moment they camo too near him. But he was il!-treated, brutally treated, all the time. Why, every time they put a harness on him they would keep him goadod with q | pitchfork so that he trembled with feal | all the time. It was quite sight to sec
 him harnessed. After the harness was
 snapped about him heavy rope wa. ttied about his neck and then ,ho would
 be dubbed over the head and backed
 out of the stall. Then the rope would
 be thrown over Q beam and the mer
 would take the bridle and club him will
 it on tho head so as to stun him before
 they could get it on. He was Q large
 powerful animal, and fine looking. Ye
 to-day that horse is as gentle as kitten Why SOB Because he passed into othel Ehands from which hc received kin6
 treatment; that is all he needed.
 tT have light sorrel horse named
 Rowdy, which have owned about twt
 years. He was very high strung and
 notorious runaway when got him. I'm
 man who sold him 10 mo confessed tha
 no suppression could De made on tn
 horses mouth. l began with gentl
 treatment and letting him know that }swas his master and drove him with
 straight bit. At the start he kicke, Ijstraight out of the traces. Nov jhe is subdued and gentle, an, tthc moment speak to him he obeys ant Twill come everywhere to mo at the soun,
 of my voice. He has trait that cause
 much amusement. We allowed him t
 run in pasture with mate Rowdy wa always great fence jumper, but hi 5 mate was not on tho start. When to- gcther, Rowdy would leap fence an' then seeing his mate decline to follow would at first coax by jumping it owe : scvcra. times back and forth, and a last, seeing this would not succeed : would begin biting tho other one and , pushing it with his nose until he com pelled it to jump.
 Q While west noticed that frequent 8 horses are guided the same as oxen - without reins, and that it is very cas !, to teach them to obey in this way. It g like everything else about horse-le s him have confidence in his master an I he will do anything. saw m odd 1T g stance of balky horse out there. '- was in Michigan and he was attached a a light buggy. The horse was yer l. large, and would weigh 1,70O to 1,8C - pounds. They were on a level and aft !. going about eighty rods the hor' e stopped short and would not budge. H c was beaten, knocked and whipped b' le without avail. Then yoke of catt ts was brought up and fastened, to whic lc was Q chain which was fastened abo, d the horses neck. That horse WI
 dragged half mile by the cattle, al
 then was as stubborn as at first. ! ,f was finally left alone and after standil !, seven hours started up all right of | |; own accord. The trouble is that wht d Q horse gets balky people lose their ter 10 pers, and this only makes matters wors q. The only sure remedy for balky hor Y. is to blindfold him by banding his eye ', I never knew this to fail, as it seems i, take away the animals attention fro
 the subject over which he is stubborn. le
 @s Cure of SOmnambulism.